| WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN YOU DIE |
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| WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN YOU DIE? If you are unsure of the answer to this question, or if you are afraid you will not spend eternity in Heaven, there�s good news for you. �For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER, believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.� (John 3:16) Because God loves and values you so much, He made a way for you to be saved. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die so mankind could be redeemed from sin. The Bible says �Except a man be born-again, he cannot see the kingdom of God� John 3:3. Also in Romans 5:8 ��but God demonstrates his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.� To explain a step further for those who may not know, when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, they broke fellowship and were separated from God and Jesus had to come as a �bridge� as the way back to relationship with God. Salvation does not come by: Joining a church or following a certain religion, or doing good deeds, or living a good moral life. Many people, because they were raised in a Christian home, or went to a Christian church all of their lives, believe they are saved, but the Word of God says that �you� must be born-again. It is not enough for your parents or family to be born-again, but it is that personal relationship with Jesus Christ that makes you born-again. The Bible says there is only one way to receive salvation. You become born-again by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Man was created to fellowship with God. We were not created to live on this earth alone. The plan and purpose for our lives was to always be with Jesus. Two great facts set Christianity apart from all other religions. 1st Christianity is inseparably connected with a Person � the Lord Jesus Christ. He was born of Mary, a virgin, He never sinned. With many powerful miracles, ��He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil�� (Acts 10:38). He was executed with criminals on a cruel Roman cross. His followers buried His ravaged body in a nearby tomb. Three days later, He rose from the dead and during the forty days that followed, He met repeatedly with His disciples. Then, as they watched, He ascended into Heaven � and it is from Heaven that He will return one day to rule the earth. Religion is mostly rituals and rules and any person needs only to learn these rules and rituals and follow them. You cannot be a devout Christian simply by learning rituals and following rules, you must come to know Jesus Christ � the Person. That�s where Christianity and other religions differ. Christianity is not based on a system of beliefs, it is based upon a �personal relationship with Jesus Christ, it�s living Founder according to John 14:23 �Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. In the Book of Revelation John tells us the following regarding knowing Jesus personally. Revelation 3:20 ��Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.� Therefore the 1st great fact of Christianity is based on a personal knowledge of the Founder of the Church � Jesus Christ. A 2nd great fact that separates Christianity from the different religions is its Author � the One on whose life and teachings it is based � still lives. Jesus is alive! Twenty centuries have come and gone since the Church began, yet its originator is alive and well. The leaders of other religions are dead. Today, the tombs of Confucius, Buddha & Mohammed are all still occupied. Each year thousands go to their shrines to pray � but you can go to the tomb of Jesus in Jerusalem and IT IS EMPTY. Jesus is not still hanging on the Cross � as some believe and because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, I can have life and life more abundantly (John 10:10). No greater event has ever occurred than the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is well documented, not only by the bible but by other ancient writings. An �agnostic� club in London in 1930 set out the disprove the Resurrection of Jesus & as well the conversion of the Apostle Paul and to show it was all a hoax. Two �dependable members� were chosen for this task. After much study the two members returned. The 1st one said �I have carefully examined the evidence and I am convinced that Jesus Christ did rise from the dead � therefore I have accepted Him as my Saviour & will become His disciple.� The 2nd club member said �I also have carefully examined the evidence and I am convinced that Paul was genuinely converted and that he was changed from a murderer to a minister. I too have accepted Paul�s Saviour as my Saviour. Jesus� Resurrection means that we are justified (restored to a state of right-standing) (by faith) before Almighty God. Romans 4:25 �who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.. This can ONLY be done through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:9 �Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him). Jesus� blood shed on Calvary STILL pays for your sins & mine & of anyone who will accept it. The Bible says �that without the shedding of Blood � there is no remission of sin (Heb 9:22 �and almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission). When the lost sinner comes to Christ, the great miracle happens. The sinner becomes justified. When he accepts Jesus as his Saviour, he stands pure and clean before God the Father as though he had never sinned. When we are justified �by faith� in the risen Christ, something else happens that we in our humanity have trouble understanding. Not only are our sins forgiven because of Jesus� shed blood, but our guilt has been erased. We stand PERFECT before God and He no longer remembers our sins (even if we remind Him). (What sin?) Psalms 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. It no longer matters what you have done (even if you have committed murder or had an abortion) God no longer remembers our sins (they no longer exist). The Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ has wiped them out � obliterated them. That�s why we can go boldly before the Throne room of God - Heb 4:16 ��Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.� We are pure before Him. Not only that, when we �slip� and make a mistake (after we are born-again) �If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness� 1John 1:9. Our assurance that Jesus really rose from the dead is addressed by Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians (1Thess 4:13-17) ��But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.� We are going to be �caught up� together with Him AND with our loved ones! Heaven is not just about streets of gold, mansions and pearly gates. That�s part of it, but Heaven is about those who have died �in the Lord� ahead of us. Heaven is about the disciples and all the rest of those �believers� who have died. That�s why Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:55 �Oh death, where is your sting? O grave where is your victory? Heaven is more than a beautiful place � heaven is HOME! It�s our destiny, our blessed hope Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Christianity is a relationship between our heavenly Father and His children. What an awesome privilege to have a relationship with the creator of the universe. This means that your spirit is reborn � not your soul (that comes later). The Holy Spirit now lives in your spirit and you have eternal life. Many people believe that because they are now a Christian, there will be no more problems or troubles in their lives � not so! There will always be problems and troubles, but now you have God in your life He will walk you through this life of problems, trials and tribulations. You will not �feel� saved or �look� saved but you are saved � by faith in Jesus Christ and that�s the key. The Christian walk can be difficult, but God, in His wisdom, has given us His Word that promises us that as you develop a relationship with Him you will want to follow Him (just like the 12 disciples did) then we can have a victorious life, no matter the circumstances. Christians who have problems with sickness, bondages or lack have not received progressive revelation of what God has for them. The scripture in Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge was written to Christians. We are going to teach you, from God�s word how to have a victorious life. There is a beautiful scripture in John 16:33 �These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.� Salvation is only the beginning of our spiritual journey! |
| DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDY - How To Study The Bible |
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